


Aubade

by Midnight_Silver_Moon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/M, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2019-11-07 05:16:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17954279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Silver_Moon/pseuds/Midnight_Silver_Moon
Summary: Luka had always loved the sea.Considering he had been born aboard a ship, that wouldn’t be much of a surprise.Luka smiled to himself as he stared off into the horizon, humming a tune he had made up a few moments prior as he admired the stunning view. The sun was starting to set, hiding behind a few clouds, whilst the sky was painted in several tones of pink and orange. The waves lazily stirred, almost as if they too, were getting ready to bed.It was breath-taking, just like what caught his eye.





	1. Aubade - Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovely people! I have been dying to write some Lukanette fanfiction and I got the idea for this one, on discord at midnight - pun not intended - thanks to my writing friends!  
> Anywho, this is my first ever fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it!

Luka had always loved the sea.

Considering he had been born aboard a ship, that wouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Throughout his childhood, Luka watched impotently as his parents’ matrimony fell apart. Countless times, he saw his mother covering bruises. Countless times, she brushed his worries aside with a forced smile, claiming it was nothing to preoccupy his sweet mind.

When he was seven, the chains that held his mother to an unhappy marriage broke altogether as his father past away due to cirrhosis.

In contrary to what many would’ve thought, instead of taking the easy path, Anarka Couffaine took the matters into her own hands and became, not only the captain of Liberty but the captain of her destiny. Young, dauntless and with an insatiable hunger to live, she vowed to make their lives marvellous.

12 years later and she was still living up to that promise.

Luka smiled to himself as he stared off into the horizon, humming a tune he had made up a few moments prior as he admired the stunning view. The sun was starting to set, hiding behind a few clouds, whilst the sky was painted in several tones of pink and orange. The waves lazily stirred, almost as if they too, were getting ready to bed.

Lord, he would never grow tired of such sight.

It was breath-taking, just like what caught his eye.

A young woman laid on what seemed like a piece of wood, floating aimlessly and unconscious.

The air caught in his throat and for a moment, he wondered what kept him from falling over. His heart and thoughts were racing, feelings fighting one another to see which one would win-

A light breeze passed by, pulling him out of his (Shock? Surprise? He wasn’t sure) and back to reality.

“Man overboard!” Luka shouted at the top of his lungs until he heard the footsteps of the crew rushing towards him. Keeping his eyes fully on the victim, he saw Nino being lowered to the water by a rope tied around his waist and taking the young lady firmly in his arms.  
In a few moments, she was placed on the colourful wood floor, soaking wet.

A wave of whispers washed over the crew, as a sea of questions danced in the air.

Although, it felt like all the questions in the universe danced around in Luka’s mind.

At this point his body didn’t even know what to do and yet, was acting at its own accord.

Luka was the first to move, kneeling beside the young woman and checking her pulse. “She’s still alive!” A series of relieved sighs followed his announcement.

Not quite for him, though. He was half relieved; happy she was alive but growing worried by the second.

She was as cold as a winter wind.

Perhaps it was evident in his face because almost as if in cue, his mother spoke.

“Everyone,” All eyes fell on the owner of the voice. “Get back to your duties!” No one in the ship was insane enough to disobey the captain – and Luka liked to think, not even Liberty – so they did as commanded.

“Juleka,” His sister was examining the girl curiously and looked up at the sound of her name. “Get the girl warm, you and Luka are now responsible for her.” And with that, Anarka too went back to her duties.

It was only when the young woman was pressed against his chest that Luka truly felt how cold she was. It was worrying, to say the least.

He followed Juleka to her cabin and placed the girl on the bed.

Only now did he allow himself to examine the figure before him; a pink dress adorned with white flowers framed her small silhouette, her long raven hair falling loose and messily around her shoulders.

“It would be quite convenient to take off some cloth.”

Luka turned around in surprise, getting to the conclusion he must have looked confused because she elaborated further.

“The wet and cold clothes could result on a fever, here” Before turning away for privacy matters, he saw Juleka standing next to his bed to take some pins off the woman’s clothes and undoing some ribbons to remove extra layers.

“She should be fine now.” Juleka looked pleased with her service and took one more look at the young lady, who was still decent and now, covered by a blanket.

“Thank you.” Luka really was grateful, for he would’ve never had the courage to execute such a bold move. He considered himself a gentleman, after all.

“Wouldn’t expect you to know how to do that, would I?” Juleka was fighting back a smile, he could tell by the playful gleam in her eyes and the chuckle that escaped her lips.

Juleka got a book and sat at the end of the bed, whilst Luka sat on an armchair in the corner of the room, lost in thought.

They would be there for quite some time.

He couldn’t stop himself from wondering how she was, where was she from, where was her ship going and why … the list grew by the minute.

No matter how curious he was, all that was left to do, was wait.


	2. Aubade - Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette was hovering somewhere between the land of living and paradise.  
> She could be there for hours, softly and mindlessly moving around, turning and gliding across the sky-  
> All too sudden for her liking, it was gone.
> 
> Marinette jumped off of wherever it was she was sitting at, desperately gasping for air, coughing the entire seven seas out of her lungs and clutching her chest.  
> Gosh, just how much water had she swallowed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Thank you so much to everyone who read the first chapter and enjoyed it enough to come back for the next one! You’re the best!

Marinette was hovering somewhere between the land of living and paradise.

She was leisurely dancing on clouds amongst colourful birds, embraced by a lovely melody. The sky was a beautiful painting, sweet tones of pink and orange adorning it. It was a place far from everything she knew and yet, within she felt hygge.

She could be there for hours, softly and mindlessly moving around, turning and gliding across the sky-

All too sudden for her liking, it was gone.

The once soft melody melted into something more … _passionate_.

The hard notes scared the birds away and before she knew, Marinette was falling.

And falling, and falling and-

_Oh, that was definitely going to leave a scratch!_

The deeper she fell the faster the memories came to her.

The ship. The fire. It was drowning, _they_ were drowning. Her parents. The screams. She had to hold onto something, anything-

Her despair was cut short as she fell onto something stiff and into unconsciousness.

* * *

Marinette jumped off of wherever it was she was sitting at, desperately gasping for air, coughing the entire seven seas out of her lungs and clutching her chest.

_Gosh, just how much water had she swallowed?_

She wasn’t in the water anymore.

Instead, she was on a bed – with far less clothing on than she remembered and that made her mind swirl with questions.

What in the devil had happened to her-

 _Oh God._ Her breath caught in her throat. _My parents!_ _Are they alright?_ Her heart dropped to her stomach. _Are they … are they alive?_

Although her mind was swimming in unanswered questions, Marinette couldn’t think. She couldn’t _breathe_.

The candle next to the bed did little to help her see, as well.

She had to get out of … wherever the devil she was.

Marinette padded along the corridor until stairs came in sight. She was greeted by a breeze as she stepped onto the open deck. The night had already fallen, painting the sky dark and gracing it with myriad stars.

_Judas … how long was I unconscious for?_

The chilly night air embraced her, helping her nerves a little. Marinette closed her eyes, inhaling deeply before letting it all out in a sigh. She did that a few times until she felt calm, and opened her eyes.

Something she hadn’t noticed whilst her heart was pounding loud in her ears was the _music_.

At this point curiosity was getting the best of her.

Marinette padded further, the music getting clearer, until a silhouette came in sight. A young man stood with his back to her, facing the horizon where sea and sky met, playing a violin.

She decided to stand exactly where she was – half because the music was pleasing, half because she didn’t know what to do.

Marinette dwelt on the soft melody mixed with the lazy waves, admiring the beautiful night sky upon her. She did her best to focus on anything but the growing worry about her family. She took another deep breath, reminding herself there wasn’t any reason to worry since there wasn’t much she could do to help at the current moment.

She gasped in surprise when the music stopped.

Then her heart flipped when the young man turned around.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, not knowing what to do.

As if only then becoming aware of her clothing – or lack thereof – she looked down, only to realise that, curiously, only the outer layers were absent.

Marinette was the first to break the silence – “I’m Ma-ma-marinette,” – and immediately wished she hadn’t spoken at all. To her surprise, he didn’t laugh. Instead, he bowed, kissed her hand and said “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mademoiselle Ma-ma-marinette,”

Although, the smirk on his face did little to ease her embarrassment.

“Please forgive me,” – his smirk died as fast as it came – “I usually better express myself with this,” He said before picking up his violin. Strangely familiar, it was a sweet melody and it made Marinette feel like she was flying.

She closed her eyes, once again letting the music embrace her.

Much to her discontentment, it was a brief moment.

“How … how do you do that?” It was a stupid question, but escaped her lips before she could think too much about it.

“Music is often simpler than words,” – he shrugged, staring at his feet – “besides,” – he looked up, meeting her gaze – “I’m not what one could call a verbose.”

“Really?” – her eyebrows arched – “In that case, please, do tell me monsieur, what would one call you then?”

“Luka. Luka Couffaine.”

* * *

For the next (hours? Marinette wasn’t sure) they talked by the edge of the sailing ship. Luka, whose family and crew were from France as well, told her all about the moment he saw her in the water and her rescue. His sister, Juleka, had dried her clothes but he didn’t know where they were, and neither did she care about it in that moment.

Luka was strangely easy to talk to, despite his claim that he had no social skills whatsoever.

The whole situation was one big coincidence; just like Marinette, Luka’s ship was going to England. Whilst the Dupain-Cheng hoped to have a better life there, the Couffaine had to restock. Although, with France on the verge of war with England, they didn’t quite know which place was better to be.

Either way, after saving money for months, Marinette and her parents finally managed to get on a ship and move away. Thanks to her rotten luck, in a voyage meant to last a day or two, _the ship caught on fire_.


	3. Aubade - Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka stared at the ceiling above him, repeatedly relieving the conversation he’d just had in his mind.  
> The pocket watch he kept on his bedside table reminded him, once again, he should rest. It would soon be time to get up and start the day, and he was still awake.   
> Could you blame him, though?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... long time no see?

Luka stared at the ceiling above him, repeatedly relieving the conversation he’d just had in his mind.

Usually, _eloquent_ wasn’t an adjective people would use to describe him. He had always better expressed himself through music. Thoughts and emotions simply flowed freely and easily through his violin and other musical instruments.

Whenever his mouth tried to express something, however, it all came out untrue and just … _erroneous_. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but words didn’t seem to convey everything. At least, not everything he wished.

Marinette had all but defenestrated such concept.

Luka couldn’t recall even if his life depended on it, the last time he’d had a conversation so genuine. Speaking with Marinette was like playing a song he knew by heart, words flowing like the familiar notes on his beloved violin.

It was almost … _effortless_.

It wasn’t an exchange of pleasantries but rather subjects they were _actually_ interested in. Both simply knew what to say next and if it wasn’t for the sunrise indicating they should rest, it was likely they would still be talking.

The pocket watch Luka kept on his bedside table reminded him, once again, he should rest. It would soon be time to get up and start the day, and he was still awake.

Could you blame him, though?

His mother was trying to keep it all eventless, as if nothing extraordinary had happened, but Luka felt as though his life had been shook. Some things would never go back to their original places and that wasn’t necessarily bad, after all, _out of chaos comes creation_.

Speaking of chaos, according to Marinette, the shipwreck had been a disaster; people ran aimlessly even though there was no way out, screamed, the children cried … it gave him goose bumps just thinking about it.

Which got him to a new topic that would keep him awake for longer; would Marinette be well? Would her family be all right? What about the people who were on the ship with her? Would-

Three hurried knocks on his door pulled him out of his musing.

The door opened, revealing Juleka, who peeked in and said “Luka, you might want to come see this,”

 

* * *

 

“We can work around it.”

They really could, could they not?

They’re old friend Barometer wasn’t telling good news per say, but it was not _that_ bad. It was just a storm. One of a preoccupying intensity for sure but they had new sails that would survive through it.

“We will be alright,” Luka said, looking over to the horizon where they could just about see the storm coming. “We just have to put on the sails we bough last week and we will be just dandy!”

Really, for heaven’s sake!

Why was Juleka so worried?

They had faced many storms before, why was she so worried about this one in particular?

“Please,” She said, walking past him and Luka frowned. _What was different this time?_ “Allow me.”

Juleka lead him away from the open deck, down the stairs and towards the cabin where they kept general supplies, food and water. Luka almost wished she had not. _Almost_. A key word in that situation because _mon Dieu_ …

The newly bought sails and all the food … completely and utterly _ruined_. Destroyed by rats that had likely gotten in the ship the week before, when they docked to restock.

 

* * *

 

 

“So, what’s the plan?” Both Luka and Juleka looked at their mother, awaiting an answer.

Really, he was desperate.

Well, _worried_ to say the least.

Both siblings watched as Anarka’s eyes fell on their stock of alcoholic beverages.

 

* * *

 

“Never have I ever,” 15 minutes. That’s all the time it took to explain the situation to the entire crew and get them to play Never Have I Ever – Luka hadn’t even suggested that! _Nathaniel_ , out of all people, had suggested it. “injured myself while trying to woo someone!”

They were all spread on the floor, each one with a full glass of wine in hand.

Luka looked around, watching as Kim huffed and took a sip of his drink, Nathaniel blushed deeply and discreetly brought the glass to his lips – Luka had to fight back a laugh at that – whilst Marc gave him a knowing look.

Marc had a smug look on his face that would take at least a week to wash off.

“Never have I Ever …” Alix tapped on her chin, deep in thought. She looked Nino in the eye and Luka heard him gulp. “Jumped from a roof.” Pleased could not describe the look on her face. _Satisfied_ was more likely.

“Oh, c’mon! That was _one_ time!” Nino protested before taking a gulp of his wine.

“Never have I ever, lived on top of a bakery!” Said Max, looking straight at Ivan. What no one expected however, was Marinette taking a sip of her wine as well.

“You lived on top of a bakery?” Luka asked, bewildered.

She hummed in response, glass still on her lips. “Yes, my parents used to own a bakery back in Paris.”

That information went straight to a little compartment in his mind where he kept every fact he could gather about Marinette.

“Never have I ever had a cat!” Luka took a gulp of his drink and watched as Juleka, Ivan, Mylène and Marc did the same.

“You had a cat?” Marinette looked surprised with such fact.

“His name was Sardine,” Said Juleka, as she put the glass down.

“He was orange and lazy.” Luka added.

Marinette smiled to herself, as if picturing the cat in her head. “Sounds adorable,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give yourself a pat on the back, mate! You got to the end of yet, another chapter!  
> I have no idea why you're all still here but thanks for reading!


	4. Aubade - Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the storm raged outside, the game went on for hours.  
> Marinette expected the questions to get bolder with each gulp of liqueur but instead, they got sillier and most of the time, made absolutely no sense at all.  
> The sun begun to set and, as if in cue, people started dozing off.  
> It was a funny metaphor, Marinette mused as she laid wide awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing sleepless nights, can you tell?

As the storm raged outside, the game went on for hours.

It wasn’t long before the wine was replaced with Rum – as childhood friends, they all had plenty of material to use against each other. Marinette was the last to finish the initial glass of wine and was now on her second glass of rum.

She expected the questions to get bolder with each gulp of liqueur but instead, they got sillier and most of the time, made absolutely no sense at all.

At some point, Juleka went to get a painting of her and Luka when they were children, claiming ‘ _they deserved to see it_ ’. She was right, it was pure gold. They were _adorable_. A while after that, Luka showed them a violin he had had for about 15 years.

The sun begun to set and, as if in cue, people started dozing off.

It was a funny metaphor, Marinette mused as she laid wide awake.

Her head, body and even her spirit, if she was being honest, were heavy. All the questions she ceased keeping track of for several rounds and that piece by piece, made memories get clear, weighted in her entire being, keeping her firmly grounded and stuck in the world of the awake.

All she whished for was to finally, after exhausting days of a voyage and sleepless nights, let her mind drift off and her body rest.

Was that too much to wish for?

_The cat, the painting, the violin … memories, memories … where did you go?_

It was all too familiar but Marinette couldn’t fathom why even if her life depended on it and _it was making her lose her mind_. Funny enough, Luka seemed to be lost in his own inner turmoil – albeit probably for different reasons.

She pretended not to notice how he kept looking at her as if trying to solve a puzzle.

She was not certain if she minded it, though. After all, Marinette herself kept glancing around the room trying to piece a picture together and that eventually included staring at Luka.

She looked him up and down, in a desperate attempt to get the answers she so anxiously longed for.

At some point, exhaustion won her over and she dozed off to sleep land. Which seemed to be rioting today because _oh mon Dieu_ …

Marinette’s dreams were hazy and confusing. It was a sequence of fragments of what she assumed were memories long lost and forgotten in her head.

 

* * *

 

_The sky was clear and as blue as it could ever be. A lovely breeze made the trees and flowers dance even though there was no music or event for such. The sun warmed everything it could reach, giving light to everyone who sought it._

_It was a calm, sunny day._

_Marinette sat on a counter, eagerly waiting for a client whilst her dad baked in the kitchen and her mother displayed the pastries. A boy, likely at her age, paced aimlessly in front of the bakery, repeatedly tilting his head upwards and turning around._

_Sabine noticed it shortly after her daughter._

_After briefly considering, she walked to the boy._

_“Are you lost?” Marinette heard Sabine ask – which he probably was, since no one seemed to know or recognise him._

_“I was out for a walk with my family but now I don’t know where they are,”_

_Sabine gave him a sweet, comforting smile and walked back inside with him._

_“Marinette, I have to go help Papa in the kitchen. Will you make him company?” She said, rushing to the kitchen before Marinette could answer._

_She got down from the counter, walking towards-_

_“I’m Marinette,” She reached a hand out to him._

_“I’m Luka, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” He said with a smile, shaking her hand._

_From that moment on, time was a concept forgotten by both of them._

_They played all afternoon, describing their favourite toys and pastimes and telling stories about their families, homes and lives._

_Luka loved to play the violin – he swore he was great at it! He had an orange lazy cat named Sardine and a sister, Juleka._

_Before they realised, it was late in the afternoon when a woman walked in, asking if they had seen a boy with the same features as Luka._

_She was so relieved to find him safe and sound, she even bought several pastries – partly to thank them, partly because it was irresistible._

 

* * *

 

Marinette woke up with a noise above her.

She jolted awake and noticed Luka was awake too.

They exchanged a glance at each other and, although it was brief, it said everything they didn’t vocalise. They nodded, confirming what they were about to do, and made their way to the hall.

Luka guided her through the dark passage – which she was grateful for. She didn’t know her way around the ship well enough to blindly walk through it. He held his arm out to her once he they reached the stairs and led her to the open deck.

To their surprise, everything seemed … _strangely normal_.

That sent a shiver up Marinette’s spine.

Her mind swirled in the worst-case scenarios, and her breathing and heart rate accelerated to match her panic.

They were about to turn around, call it a day, claim it was nothing and go back to the cabin when ten people came out from the pitch-black darkness and chained them together.

Well, that was certainly not ideal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah ... references!  
> Anywho, thank you so much for reading, you guys are wonderful!  
> XOXO


	5. Aubade - Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The stars are beautiful tonight,” Luka looked up at the sky, the back of his head bumping with Marinette’s in the process, and tried his best to admire it. He really did but such task proved itself to be quite difficult due to his current … situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I'm not dead  
> I was busy with an internship and I couldn't write this chapter for the life of me  
> I sat down and no words came out but it's finally here people! And I'm pretty proud of this one, once the words started flowing better, it was fun to write :)  
> Enough of me, enjoy it!

“The stars are beautiful tonight,” Luka looked up at the sky, the back of his head bumping with Marinette’s in the process, and tried his best to admire it. He really did but such task proved itself to be quite difficult due to his current … _situation_.

  
“You know what else is beautiful?” Said one of the men, circling around him and Marinette like an animal ready to attack its prey. He could feel Marinette shiver against his back. God, she was just trying to get to England and now she was stuck in a ship with no food and being held hostage by pirates. She really didn’t deserve this.

  
“Your ship!” The man yelled in Luka’s ear, his fellow companions joining in with laugher. Speaking of which, he could smell at least five different liqueurs in that man’s breath.

  
_What a turn of events_ , Luka thought bitterly to himself. The universe seemed to be conspiring against him. _Well_ , he thought, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips, _maybe not entirely_. Marinette had certainly been a lovely surprise but he wasn’t quite fond of the events that followed her unexpected arrival.

  
Speaking of her, Luka wondered how was she handling all of this. He wished he could take one look at her, to make sure she was alright. Oh God. Was she scared? Luka metaphorically ran his hands through his hair in frustration – since his physical ones were tied.

  
He could not just sit there while pirates attacked his family’s ship.

  
And even worse, he couldn’t sit there whilst they had an innocent person being held hostage – not that any of his crew members had done anything to deserve such a thing.

  
Something, or rather someone, caught his attention, pulling him out of his (Panic? Musing?) and back to reality.

  
Whilst he was lost in his thoughts, somebody went down the stairs and brought his crew’s belongings to the open deck – which made sense, it was dark but the dim light provided by the moon and the stars was more helpful than candles.

  
“Well, what do we have here?” One of the men asked rhetorically, putting down a chest. Wait. No, please! Not that one! Oh God, dammit!

  
There are strangers rummaging through my childhood memories.

_There are strangers rummaging through my childhood memories._

THERE ARE STRANGERS RUMMAGING THROUGH MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES.

  
Oh, now they went too far.

No God no, please be carefu-

Oh his poor violin!

  
For God knows how long, three of the men rummaged through his things, throwing them around and keeping the ones they liked. Eventually being hit in the head by his own belongings, he couldn’t believe what was happening before his eyes.

  
“Luka,” For the first time since they’d gotten to the deck, Marinette spoke. She sounded confused and almost … scared?

  
“Yes?” He replied, worry settling in his chest a lot quicker than he expected.

  
Marinette was quiet for a moment, as if trying to gather the right words. “Why … why do you have a picture of me?”

  
Wait, what? He what now?

  
“A picture of you?” Luka repeated her question, partly because he wasn’t sure if he’d heard correctly, partly in the hopes of helping such fact settle in his head.

  
Marinette lightly elbowed his back to get his attention, then tilted her head to the side, where a picture laid on the floor. He twisted himself as best as he could to try and get a better look at said photograph.

  
Luka felt as though someone had punched him in the face. His heart skipped a few beats and his breath caught in his throat. He remembered that day. And most importantly, he remembered taking that picture.

  
His family was out to buy supplies and whilst walking through the market, Luka got lost. Fortunately, his despair didn’t last long, for a family helped him. He played with another child until his mother found him. The day had been so special to him, his mum suggested taking a picture to keep the memory alive.

  
Luka was drowning in his memory lake and yet, it felt as though someone was breathing air into his empty lungs. He tried his best to compose himself, opening and closing his mouth a few times to try and say something but it was of no use, his mouth was dry and his thoughts were racing and yet frozen in place.

  
“That … that’s you?” He managed to croak out, his words hanging in the air – which felt thick around them. So dense in fact, it felt although it was squeezing his chest.

  
Funny enough, the pirates didn’t seem to notice their turmoil. They kept on rummaging through his things while he could barely breathe or think.

  
“Yes,” He heard Marinette gulp.

  
Luka felt as though he’d found a precious treasure and like all the furniture of his cabin had been moved 5 centimetres to the left.

  
“What in the Devil do you think you’re doing?” Exclaimed a voice Luka knew well. Their saviour. The almighty-

  
“Anarka!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! XOXO


	6. Aubade - Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Couldn’t just ask to see me, could you? You just had to tie them up and make a mess of my ship, had you not?” A not-so-fake annoyed tone enlaced Anarka’s words. The man took unhurried steps towards her, a smirk gracing his features as he looked up to meet her intense gaze.
> 
> “That’s no way to treat a cousin, is it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that, it didn't take me months to update

“Couldn’t just ask to see me, could you? You just had to tie them up and make a mess of my ship, had you not?” A not-so-fake annoyed tone enlaced Anarka’s words. The man took unhurried steps towards her, a smirk gracing his features as he looked up to meet her intense gaze.

 

“That’s no way to treat a cousin, is it?”

 

Everyone else was confused but it was nothing compared to how Marinette felt. She was a fish out of water, thrown into a glass and placed on a corner table at a party. She watched as people recognised each other in the ballroom, dancing together and talking about things she couldn’t understand.

 

Not only was she stunned about the picture Luka had of her, she had absolutely no clue on what in the Devil was happening before her eyes – thus, her mind was divided into a state of pure confusion and panic.

 

“I wouldn’t have to give you such treatment if you approached me properly, George,” _Well_ , she thought bitterly to herself, _now I have yet another question to be answered_.

 

“Touché,” He nodded, walking towards the tied-up duo.

 

 _Oh thank God_ , Marinette thought to herself as she and Luka were finally set free.

 

Being the first to get on his feet, Luka offered a helping hand to her so she could do the same. She mumbled a ‘thank you’ to him before looking away, feeling her cheeks warm up.

 

“Pardon my impatience,” Anarka spoke, grabbing everybody’s attention. “What exactly brings you here, George?”

 

The man smiled at the sound of his name, dramatically raising a hand to his chest before saying, “I, my dear cousin, am here to invite you to a, rather urgent, family reunion.” _A what now?_

 

“And that required an assault to my ship?” Anarka wasn’t annoyed … but Marinette could tell she wasn’t happy about it either.

 

“No, it did not.” He admitted, briefly looking at his feet. “But otherwise, where would the fun be?” Marinette was sure no one could wipe the smirk off his face even if they tried.

 

“Very well then,” Anarka motioned for him to follow her. “Where are we headed?”

 

A silence fell on the deck; Luka stared at his feet as if piecing a puzzle together in his head. Marinette played with the layers of her dress skirt, twisting it between her hands, desperately thinking of something to say.

 

“Should we-”

“Would you like to-” As if in sync with her, Luka seemed to have the very same idea.

 

“I beg your pardon,” He briefly looked at his feet, his messy black hair falling on his face, before he met her gaze. “You were saying?”

 

Oh.

 _Right_.

Words! She was saying words, was she not?

 

“I …,” She trailed off, once again fidgeting with the fabric of her dress as if it would help her gather her thoughts. “Should we talk?” Marinette looked up, meeting his awaiting gaze. “About the, well, _everything_ ,” She quickly added and immediately regretted it.

 

Before she could dwell on her annoyance towards her own stupidity and lack of charisma, Luka gave her a sympathetic smile and lead her down the stairs and back to his cabin.

 

\- - -

 

“We’ll meet back here before dawn,” After getting supplies from their family, the voyage to England went smooth. The sun was peeking in from behind the horizon when they got to the port. The day was to be used to clean the ship, buy supplies and everyone were to meet back there before sundown.

 

The crew was quite excited to walk around and buy anything that tickled their fancy – which Marinette could understand, the few dresses she caught a glimpse of, were breath-taking.

 

As much as she wished she could engage in their shopping day, Marinette had bigger issues to take care of. After discussing it with Luka, the first thing she’d do was ask for a list of people who docked there in the past few days – she needed to know if her parents had made it.

 

Once she had that down, her plan came to a bifurcation; in case they’d made it, she would go looking for them and once reunited, they could figure everything out together. If they … otherwise, she would go looking for Alya, a friend she made during the voyage to England.

 

Marinette had her arm enlaced with Luka’s as they walked towards a man whom was responsible for that Dock - it was the only thing keeping her grounded as fear consumed her every thought.

 

Her eyebrows furrowed in thought as the image of a couple talking with the Dock Owner became clearer. Could it-

 

“Marinette?” She could feel tears forming in her eyes as a voice she could never forget called her name. She gripped Luka’s arm tighter, trying to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

 

“Marinette!” Her father exclaimed as both of her parents came running towards her, before tackling her into a tight hug. Luka moved aside, probably watching it with that sweet expression of his.

 

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when her father went to shake Luka’s hand, thanking for keeping Marinette safe. Her mother looked up at him with teary eyes, mumbling her gratitude over and over.

 

Once everyone had calmed down, Marinette walked over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders as she got on her tip toes and placed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Luka.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for chapter 7 because, spoiler alert, it’s the last chapter of this fic!


	7. Aubade - Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka stared at the horizon, admiring the way the sun shone on the water, how the breeze softly ruffled his hair every now and then, and pressed the paper in his hands close to his heart. “Almost there,” He whispered to himself, smiling at the thought of his arrival. 
> 
> Never in his life, had he been so excited to dock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that, two updates in one week. Last chapter is here and I hope you enjoy it!

Luka stared at the horizon, admiring the way the sun shone on the water, how the breeze softly ruffled his hair every now and then, and pressed the paper in his hands close to his heart. “Almost there,” He whispered to himself, smiling at the thought of his arrival.

 

Never in his life, had he been so excited to dock.

 

The urgent family reunion Uncle George talked about, brought a work opportunity to the Couffaine – which was more consistent than their buy and re-sell business.

 

His family wasn’t ready to get away from the sea just yet, and before they knew, a year had passed. Luka now had a job waiting for him with his cousin Ross, who was a banker – surprisingly, the good kind.

 

Now that he thought about it, he’d had quite an eventful year; Juleka and Rose got married – finally! Marc and Nathaniel put a name to their relationship and tied the knot not long after his sister. Nino moved to England, and according to what he’d been told through letters, and met a wonderful lady named Alya whom he married just a month ago.

 

After meeting her at a young age and not hearing from her for a decade, Luka made sure to keep in contact with Marinette. He exchanged an uncountable number of letters with her during said year; whatever it was that they had, evolved into a friendship and not long after, into a romance. He kept all the letters and often found himself re-reading them, dwelling in her words.

 

Luka read the last sentence of her letter, a smile gracing his lips at how utterly adorable she was. ‘ _When you read this, I’ll be waiting at the Dock._ ’ The first paragraph of said letter held her instructions: _As keen as I am to write to you, I have to ask you to save this letter for when you find yourself in the ship bringing you back to me. Be patient, I love you._

 

His heart warmed as he traced her words with the tip of his fingers. He could almost picture her, in a light-coloured dress, her curly black hair in an up-do framing her lovely features, her blue eyes sparking with the sun light … _God, I miss her so much_. The ship seemed to be slower than ever but he knew it would be only an hour before he set feet on land again.

 

That thought was enough to ease his longing ever so slightly.

 

* * *

 

Luka could barely hear anything besides his heart, thrumming in his chest like hummingbird’s wings. His eyes were frantically looking for Marinette as he walked down the stairs and set feet on land. She was to be waiting for him in the corner of the crowd, which was supposed to make it easier to spot her.

 

His eyes roamed the crowd, looking for her freckled face and curly dark hair. _No, no, no, not that one, no, no, close but no, no, n-_

_Wait, there!_

 

Luka was sure his heart had stopped beating altogether but he ran to Marinette nonetheless. Funny enough, it seemed she had not seen him yet. _That should make for a great surprise._

 

She was on her tip toes, biting her lip as she looked for him. _Oh, if only she knew_ … Luka had to swallow back a chuckle, he couldn’t blow his cover!

 

“Excuse me, ma’am? Could you give me directions,” That was enough to catch her attention and she turned to look at him. “To your heart?” Her eyes widened, mouth slightly open in surprise. In a fraction of a second, the biggest of smiles made its way to her lips and before he could even register, Luka was almost tackled to the ground – emphasis on _almost_.

 

Managing to keep his balance, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his face in her hair – oh he could feel her smiling against his chest and that nearly killed him on the spot. 

 

Countless times he held her letters to his chest, dwelling in her words and dreaming about the day he would finally set feet on land to be with her – they had been apart for way too long.

 

And now, Marinette was here. Living and breathing, clutching him as if he would escape through her fingers like sand. It felt surreal, Luka himself couldn’t believe it was actually happening. Apart from her tight embrace, the only other thing keeping him grounded was the metaphorical weight of a small box in the pocket of his navy blue coat.

 

As much as he loved holding Marinette, that wasn’t nearly enough to fill the months away from her. The way to her house in the carriage seemed to last forever but at least he could be close to her.

 

After what felt like an eternity, they reached her house and Marinette didn’t hesitate before leading him to the garden – their favourite place.

 

Speaking of not hesitating, in a swift motion Luka had one arm wrapped around her waits whilst he cupped her cheek with his free hand. God, he didn’t realise how much he’d missed her and her soft lips until he kissed her.

 

Marinette was quick to wrap her arms around his neck, bringing him impossibly close. He could feel her giggling against his lips. God, she was adorable, his heart couldn’t take it.

 

Luka sighed in contentment, delighting in the fact they had waited so long to be together and now, the wait was over and they had a bright future ahead of them – which they were eager to explore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> XOXO

**Author's Note:**

> I guess it was good because I held your attention long enough for you to get to the end notes!  
> Thank you for reading!


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